---
title: Boston University — cost, debt & earnings (College Scorecard)
location: Boston, MA
control: Private nonprofit
source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (2026-06-10 release)
sourceUrl: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/
---

# Boston University

Boston, MA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor-granting

> Federal College Scorecard institution **medians** — not a prediction of any one student's outcome, and not a figure for any single program. Earnings/debt cover federally-aided students.

## The bottom line

| Figure | Value | Status |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Typical earnings, 10 yrs after entry | $83,238 | recorded |
| Earnings range (25th–75th pct) | $56,723 – $122,012 | recorded |
| Typical federal debt | $21,500 | recorded |
| Debt of students who withdrew | $12,000 | recorded |
| Completion rate | 89% | recorded |
| Average annual net cost | $86,285 | recorded |
| % earning above a $28k HS-grad wage | 87% | recorded |
| Debt ÷ a year's earnings | 0.26× | derived |
| Earnings premium vs $28k HS benchmark | $55,238 | derived |

**89% of students finish** — the loans are owed whether or not you graduate, so read every figure below next to this number.

Typical **federal** loan debt is $21,500 (≈ 26% of a year's typical earnings here). Note: this counts federal loans only — not private loans, Parent PLUS, or family savings — so true borrowing is usually higher; and because dropouts borrow less, low-completion schools can show a deceptively low debt figure.

## Earnings by major (the number that decides "worth it")

> **Different measure — read on its own terms.** These are median earnings **1 year after completing the program** (early career, graduates only) — NOT the 10-years-after-entry school-wide figure above. Do not compare a program figure to the school figure; compare majors to each other. The Dept. of Education omits programs with too few graduates.

By program, early-career pay ranges from $24,688 to $223,140 across 95 program(s).

| Major | Credential | Pay (1 yr out) | Median debt |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Advanced/Graduate Dentistry and Oral Sciences. | Graduate/Professional Certificate | $223,140 | not reported |
| Dentistry. | First Professional Degree | $115,398 | $310,944 |
| Insurance. | Master's Degree | $112,170 | not reported |
| Computer Science. | Master's Degree | $110,318 | not reported |
| Law. | First Professional Degree | $108,069 | $117,740 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations. | Master's Degree | $104,027 | $47,962 |
| Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences, Other. | Master's Degree | $101,869 | $140,895 |
| Computer Engineering. | Master's Degree | $92,383 | not reported |
| Information Science/Studies. | Master's Degree | $92,380 | $31,165 |
| Computer Engineering. | Bachelor's Degree | $90,529 | $25,984 |
| Finance and Financial Management Services. | Master's Degree | $87,851 | not reported |
| Legal Research and Advanced Professional Studies. | Master's Degree | $87,263 | $61,150 |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering. | Master's Degree | $85,937 | not reported |
| Computer Science. | Bachelor's Degree | $82,237 | $23,125 |
| Mechanical Engineering. | Master's Degree | $81,137 | $57,930 |
| Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods. | Master's Degree | $80,155 | $36,916 |
| Biomathematics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology. | Master's Degree | $74,311 | $48,565 |
| Biomedical/Medical Engineering. | Master's Degree | $74,177 | $41,000 |
| Public Administration. | Master's Degree | $72,575 | not reported |
| Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions. | Doctoral Degree | $70,003 | $61,375 |
| Mechanical Engineering. | Bachelor's Degree | $69,404 | $25,000 |
| Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services, Other. | Master's Degree | $68,699 | $29,500 |
| Marketing. | Master's Degree | $68,346 | not reported |
| Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions. | Bachelor's Degree | $67,918 | not reported |
| Health and Medical Administrative Services. | Master's Degree | $65,625 | $56,842 |
| Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions. | Master's Degree | $63,608 | not reported |
| Biomedical/Medical Engineering. | Bachelor's Degree | $61,357 | $25,500 |
| Medicine. | First Professional Degree | $61,274 | $205,222 |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering. | Bachelor's Degree | $61,072 | $26,646 |
| Communication Disorders Sciences and Services. | Master's Degree | $60,886 | $52,000 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations. | Bachelor's Degree | $60,547 | $23,196 |
| Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population Biology. | Master's Degree | $58,103 | $59,608 |
| Public Health. | Master's Degree | $56,618 | $62,334 |
| Curriculum and Instruction. | Master's Degree | $56,178 | $20,500 |
| Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication. | Master's Degree | $55,843 | $39,224 |
| Educational Administration and Supervision. | Master's Degree | $55,508 | $29,762 |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions. | Master's Degree | $53,796 | $70,081 |
| Economics. | Bachelor's Degree | $53,654 | $24,224 |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections. | Master's Degree | $52,578 | $39,700 |
| Nutrition Sciences. | Master's Degree | $52,553 | $61,371 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas. | Master's Degree | $52,093 | $28,103 |
| Special Education and Teaching. | Master's Degree | $51,344 | $33,500 |
| Social Sciences, General. | Master's Degree | $49,767 | not reported |
| Social Work. | Master's Degree | $49,509 | $53,395 |
| Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management. | Master's Degree | $49,096 | not reported |
| Radio, Television, and Digital Communication. | Master's Degree | $49,014 | $68,910 |
| Social Sciences, Other. | Bachelor's Degree | $48,872 | not reported |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods. | Master's Degree | $46,811 | $25,500 |
| Special Education and Teaching. | Bachelor's Degree | $46,446 | $27,000 |
| Design and Applied Arts. | Bachelor's Degree | $46,444 | $21,000 |
| Education, General. | Master's Degree | $46,140 | not reported |
| Hospitality Administration/Management. | Bachelor's Degree | $46,076 | $23,250 |
| Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology. | Master's Degree | $45,619 | $80,000 |
| Journalism. | Master's Degree | $43,666 | not reported |
| Mathematics. | Bachelor's Degree | $43,129 | $19,250 |
| Student Counseling and Personnel Services. | Master's Degree | $42,908 | $53,000 |
| Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services. | Master's Degree | $42,687 | $28,235 |
| Theological and Ministerial Studies. | First Professional Degree | $42,390 | $25,000 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas. | Bachelor's Degree | $41,943 | $25,500 |
| Communication and Media Studies. | Bachelor's Degree | $41,873 | $23,250 |
| International Relations and National Security Studies. | Master's Degree | $41,706 | $86,165 |
| Political Science and Government. | Bachelor's Degree | $39,106 | $23,250 |
| International Relations and National Security Studies. | Bachelor's Degree | $38,920 | $23,394 |
| Culinary Arts and Related Services. | Master's Degree | $38,764 | not reported |
| Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology. | Bachelor's Degree | $38,708 | $25,000 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities. | Bachelor's Degree | $37,863 | not reported |
| Neurobiology and Neurosciences. | Bachelor's Degree | $37,633 | $24,325 |
| Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Other. | Master's Degree | $37,367 | $67,568 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods. | Bachelor's Degree | $37,298 | $27,000 |
| Psychology, General. | Master's Degree | $37,242 | $64,500 |
| History. | Bachelor's Degree | $37,151 | $25,996 |
| Journalism. | Bachelor's Degree | $36,717 | $24,500 |
| Psychology, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $36,705 | $23,250 |
| Philosophy. | Bachelor's Degree | $36,276 | $25,375 |
| Education, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $34,838 | $27,000 |
| Chemistry. | Bachelor's Degree | $34,787 | $25,990 |
| Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $34,542 | $25,889 |
| Research and Experimental Psychology. | Bachelor's Degree | $34,431 | not reported |
| Communication and Media Studies. | Master's Degree | $34,361 | $77,420 |
| Sociology. | Bachelor's Degree | $33,033 | $26,375 |
| Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions. | Bachelor's Degree | $32,935 | $25,000 |
| English Language and Literature, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $32,854 | $25,750 |
| Radio, Television, and Digital Communication. | Bachelor's Degree | $32,475 | $22,167 |
| Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population Biology. | Bachelor's Degree | $32,224 | $24,677 |
| Fine and Studio Arts. | Master's Degree | $32,156 | not reported |
| Physiology, Pathology and Related Sciences. | Bachelor's Degree | $31,920 | $27,000 |
| Social Work. | Bachelor's Degree | $31,847 | not reported |
| Music. | Doctoral Degree | $31,501 | not reported |
| Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology. | Bachelor's Degree | $31,373 | $27,000 |
| Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics. | Bachelor's Degree | $31,093 | not reported |
| Biology, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $30,006 | $25,985 |
| Visual and Performing Arts, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $28,215 | not reported |
| Music. | Master's Degree | $27,986 | $39,771 |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft. | Bachelor's Degree | $25,859 | $26,849 |
| Fine and Studio Arts. | Bachelor's Degree | $24,688 | $20,475 |

## What this is — and is NOT

Institution-wide medians from the U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. **Not** a prediction of what you would earn or owe, **not** a figure for any single program (a CS and a fine-arts graduate of the same school diverge enormously), **not** proof the school caused the outcome (selection, not causation), and **not** a "best college" ranking. Explore Boston University by field of study at the official Scorecard: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/school/?164988

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Structured data (JSON-LD), each figure labeled by epistemic status: `/education/boston-university-ma.jsonld` · all schools: `/education`